by Benjy Eisen

Shortly after Marc Brownstein left the Disco Biscuits in January 2000, he assembled a one-time band (including members of The New Deal, Uncle Sammy and Ulu) to perform a rock opera called The Maui Project at The Wetlands in NYC. Both the songs and the show had an overwhelming emotional appeal to them, dealing with hurt, confusion, and loss in such a positive way, that never in my life have I ever left a show with such a feeling of possibility. Things just felt GOOD, you know?

That optimism was prophetic for us all, of course, but for Marc Brownstein, it translated into forming a new band, Electron, this time featuring members of Fat Mama and The Brothers Past. Electron plays this Friday Aug. 18 at The Trocadero in Philadelphia, followed Saturday Aug. 19 at The Wetlands.

As Marc Brownstein rejoined The Disco Biscuits in July, after a six-month separation, these shows promise to be both reflective and celebrational, ultimately resulting in the unveiling of a new rock opera entitled The Chemical Warfare Brigade (described by Marc as a musical Tarantino.)

Indeed things are good. And this is Electron:

Benjy: First tell me a little bit about The Maui Project. How did it come about? Who was in it? What was it?

Marc: Don't kill me over here. You know who was in it...Max [Delaney; Uncle Sammy], Dave [Hoffman; Ulu], Pauli [Herron], DJ Stitch, Jaime [Shields; New Deal], Lorita and Pepper...It was actually Jake [Szufnarowski; talent buyer for The Wetlands] who talked me into going to a jam session with some of the Biscuit heads. That's where I met Stitch. It was on that night that I knew what I had to do.

I wanted to live up to the lyrics of Nughuffer: "Life is hard you can not sit inside your house and wallow in self-pity." So I took all the pity and anger, and sadness and confusion, and then I turned it into something positive - music.

It was a way to figure out what I wanted to do over the next ten years or so. Get my emotions out into the music, listen to it, and see how it made me feel. I wanted, no matter what the outcome was, to come out of this experience (the temporary split of the Disco Biscuits) with plenty of music. So I wrote and wrote and wrote, and eventually I had this concept album. It's about Maui, the island, you know. I went to Maui last summer and went swimming. It was great, the reef, the ocean, the waterfalls, the rainforest, the bamboo forest, the mud in my shoes, the sand beneath my feet, the sunsets, the culture, the volcanoes, it all opened my eyes up to what else was out there in the world. It gave me a sense of excitement about all of the things that there are to see in the world.

Benjy: You formed Electron after The Maui Project. Why form a whole new band?

Marc: The idea was to keep it fresh. I was looking to have some fun. I had just gotten out of a long relationship, and I figured I should have a few one-night stands, ya know. Play with new people for one night, to get a sense of what I had, and put into perspective the magic that I had been a part of.

I thought, change it up a bit, let the songs develop by varying the input at some of the instruments. Joe had expressed interest to me, as the Mama was taking off the summer. Tommy had always intrigued me as a guitarist. I thought that he would be naturally tuned in to what I was trying to do. And he was. Stitch is gold - no one can step into his shoes. He was the guy who gave me the idea to play with other people. When I first jammed with Stitch it was like, yeah, this is the guy.

[Note: For the full Electron line-up, visit the official homepage: http://www.thisiselectron.com]

Benjy: What was the thinking behind putting together a band in which most of the other members are already in full-time bands?

Marc: Well, why would someone who just got out of a five-year relationship with a girl decide to spend some time with clearly unavailable women? You never want to jump right back into something permanent.

I had the sense to just write and keep playing, and take my time, and surely everything would work itself out. Not to say I ever thought I was going to be back in the Biscuits. I just wanted to take it slow, and make sure if nothing else that whatever I decided to do eventually, it would be the right thing. I am confident of that now.

Benjy: There are two dates scheduled for Electron - Friday night in Philly, Saturday night in New York. How will these two shows be different from each other?

Marc: At one of the shows, I will be playing the new rock opera in its entirety. I have heard rumors about where it is going to be played, but I honestly don't even know yet. I am going to decide on the day of. The other show will be less stressful for me, all songs I've either played before or heard so many times that it's cool. One show is going to be a presentation - the other is going to be a party.

Benjy: Originally, the Electron keyboard player was going to be Steve Vidaic from The Motet, whom you've never really worked with before. Once you were back in The Disco Biscuits, bandmate Aron Magner took over on keys. What facilitated that change?

Marc: Well, I had only one weekend set aside to practice with Steve, and I had to teach all of the new songs to Aron this month, and I needed to spend plenty of time learning all of the new Biscuit tunes, and doing whatever else the heck we've been doing for twenty hours a day for the last few weeks. So given my new living situation, it just seemed like the right thing to do for the music and for the transition back into Biscuit world...

Benjy: Has being back in The Disco Biscuits affected Electron in other ways?

Marc: Well, I have had a chance to play through the new songs with the Biscuits, and that has really helped me to finish the songs with the special Biscuits touch. You know, playing a song to Barber and Sam and Mags, they automatically know what I am going for, and are not afraid to go beyond that, to play what they feel, and it just makes the songs what they are. So the songs I think have benefited by having been played pretty often with two bands. Having several interpretations has always led to good things.

Benjy: What about the opposite - has being in The Maui Project and then Electron given you fresh perspectives as a renewed Disco Biscuit?

Marc: You know it has. I mean, how could it not? It was what I needed. It was really what everybody needed. A little distance to put what we had into perspective. And now it is fucking great up here. We are juiced and ready to go. We are really having fun with all of the projects we are working on, even if we never sleep.

Benjy: Since the Biscuits already have a festival gig during the weekend of the Electron shows, why not just scrape Electron altogether, now that you have a full-time band once again?

Marc: Cmon, Benjy. I have to go through with this. I want to go through with this. Playing with these guys in Electron has been exhilarating. The band is great, in a different way that the Biscuits are great. New interpretations of old songs is always good. All side projects are refreshing in that way. If you think the songs are going to sound the same at each show, you are sorely mistaken.

I am intentionally arranging the songs slightly differently to make it fun and interesting. I think Electron is going to remain a band into the future.

Benjy: Okay, but we now have half of the Disco Biscuits, playing Disco Biscuits songs, in a band called Electron. What will be the fundamental difference between the two bands? What can people expect to get, sonically, that they won't get at future Disco Biscuits shows?

Marc: Like I said, expect Tommy and Joe to rip your heads off. Expect to hear wonderful vocal arrangements. Expect to hear The DJ blow it up. And where else can you watch Pauli on stage? Expect smaller crowds, more room to dance. Expect new songs you've never heard before. Expect a party to celebrate the future. This weekend is going to be fun.

By the way, not that many Biscuits songs will be played, kinda a change of plans now that we have the Biscuits back in full effect. Expect some new covers; some of my favorite songs in some of the coolest venues...

Benjy: Do you think that you're trying to explore new territories with Electron that you wouldn't want to eventually do with The Disco Biscuits, or do you think that maybe you're going to use Electron as a laboratory, testing new aural concoctions that, if potent enough, could become a part of Bisco?

Marc: The latter is definitely the case. It is certainly a testing ground for new music. Joe and Tommy, and Stitch and Max and Dave, and Pauli, and Jaime - they all deserve a lot of credit in the development of the songs. The whole Biscuits scene is going to benefit.

The family is now larger than ever, with all of the new friends we made in the last few months. Mauricio, Stitch on the same stage? Now it is possible. A huge bass jam with Jordan, Carol, Swizzlesticks, Clay, me, and Rogers-Wright - why not???? Six drummers and two drum machines on one stage? I hope to see it. Magner dressed as a girl? Maybe one day.

Benjy: If you could somehow place yourself into the audience at an Electron show, describe what you would hope the experience would be like.

Marc: I'd hope it rocks, and has heart and soul, and is true to the bones with bellowing bass. I hope that the shows make me laugh and cry, and jiggle around like only Stitch knows how. I'd hope it make me scream for more, like a little schoolgirl at a Beatles concert. I'd hope not to get thrown out by the security for enjoying a Royal Crown. @